Competition: This Ol' Shadowport

Finished
This Ol' Shadowport

Now that the rubble has been cleared away, it’s time to start rebuilding! We need locations for Ol’val!

What sort of places would you expect to find in a secretive Shadowport populated by scum and villainy? We’re looking for watering holes, shops, gang hideouts and anything else you might see in a hidden criminal port.

Feel free to submit as many locations as you like, but you can only place once! The winner will be determined based on the most descriptively written and interesting locations. We’re not looking for fictions for this competition; instead we are looking for well-written locations for our Shadowport. The top three entries will be awarded Fourth Level Crescents, but all entries will have an opportunity to be featured on the revamped Ol’val wiki!

One final note: Don’t worry about NPCs at this point in time, as we’ll be exploring them in future competitions.

Competition Information
Parent Competition
A Shadow Port in Shambles
Organized by
Lucine Vasano
Running time
2018-06-24 until 2018-07-09 (16 days)
Target Unit
House Qel-Droma
Competition Type
Other
Awards
Fourth Level Crescents
Participants
6 subscribers, of which 3 have participated.
Results
Member
Aedile Tali Sroka
Textual submission

Sorry for bad format, on the go submission.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BUNy_t-8VEdccZMB6eZ-6IiVtY96gz0xua9gOrel03w/edit?usp=drivesdk

Ariadne’s Threads

Nestled in a narrow alleyway near the space port docks, this small clothing shop is a must-visit for anyone looking for a personal set of threads. Fashion is an alien concept within its walls, as a variety of seemingly haphazard garments and accessories lay strewn about on racks and hangers in a pattern that only the owner seems to truly follow. Instead, style is all that matters and few are the patrons who visit and do not leave with it.

Finding this treasure trove of assorted galactic garments is not difficult if one knows where to look, though passing by a few food stalls selling fermented Guuber-fish, vaulting a drum of leaking hypermatter fuel and whisking past an ill-tempered guard Massiff that is kept on a very generous length of chain do all present certain hindrances. After venturing past these obstacles, one would find themselves in a very narrow alleyway with barely enough room for two to squeeze past each other, standing before a stained transparisteel pane where the offerings of the day are presented.

Often enough these will be at first glance atrocious rag-tag ensembles of cacophonous collections, but the longer one inspects them the more these often frilly and flamboyant outfits begin to make sense. Small details begin to pop up, a certain narrative emerging from each garment and a story, or message begins to convey from the choice of fabric, color and pattern down to the smallest details in accessories.

For those in a hurry, this is not the place for them, but for those with the time to spare the owner can summon truly remarkable ensembles that, despite their ragtag appearance, still speak to some primal part of the person’s self. It is often said that if one is lost, they can find themselves in Ariadne’s Threads...

Obsidian Market
A den of haggling and merchandise, located a few short alleys away from the docks, the Obsidian Market is a loosely defined area of relatively open space where various ramshackle stalls have been built. The constructs have no real cohesive design to them, effortlessly combining tarps and sheets of corrugated durasteel with slabs of repurposed concrete and rusted support struts.

Mingling scents of exotic spices, spaceship lubricants, meats and hides permeate the grounds while a cacophony of muted haggling and boisterous claims of low prices fill the air. Often filled with Ol’valians and passers-by in equal measure, the Obsidian Market rarely sleeps and is a surefire way of running into new and intriguing personalities. Especially if you try to shorthand someone on a deal.

From arms and ammo to food and fineries, the market caters to all tastes and for the right price, even the most discerning ones can be satisfied. However, for the most part this souk is little more than a glorified grocery store for the vast majority of Ol’val’s populace, where they can purchase the freshest imports or bring their own wares for sale or barter.
ALaS Co Field Office: Ol’val Branch
A tidy, no-frills affair in an otherwise chaotic maelstrom of shipping, the ALaS Co Field Office sits squarely on the second level catwalks overlooking the main docks. A pale blue sheen on its front window and the black-and-gold emblem of the outfit make it a fairly easily distinguished shop front among the other operators that line the portside walkways.

Inside, a cool and pleasant, if a bit stifled atmosphere awaits, with several inoffensive couches of dark brown leather offering a seat for the waiting customers while a small bubbling fountain provides a soothing distraction as well as refreshment. The lobby itself is compact, containing little more than the aforementioned couches and water fountain, before terminating in an angular reception desk behind which a smartly dressed clerk ought to be waiting. In case that is not the case, a helpful buzzer sits atop the counter and which may or may not summon the official depending on the individual’s particular motivation that day.

Due to the sometimes spotty attendance by the clerks, some passers-by have taken to loitering within the office, enjoying the free water, seating and ventilation for free. However, a droid-automated security system, complete with a drop-down ceiling mounted repeating blaster has proven to dissuade such behavior in recent times. Especially in the wake of the unfortunate events surrounding Ewan “I ain’t movin’” Tsarrask.

All manners of items may be handled at the field office, ranging from arranging transportation for goods and people, to checking up on customs, shipment details or fuel prices. ALaS Co also provides a selection of commodity goods that can be easily shipped to the customer upon request, providing easy access to raw materials for any entrepreneurial sort, though bulk orders are required.

Placement
1st place
Member
Ghost Luka Zarkot
Textual submission

The Whispering Tease is -- explicitly -- a house of pleasure, a bordello, a brothel. However, the owner prefers to call it a "place of companionship". Its workers, from all walks of life, provide more than what is usually expected of the profession. Within its walls, patrons can find release, warmth, advice, and an attentive ear. These attentive ears can provide information, if given the right price... Discounts given to preferred, Qel-Droman patrons.

If one seeks its extravagant silken sheets, richly-adorned company, or information regarding those "just passing through" -- The Whispering Tease can be found beneath a neon sign of pursed, teal lips.

Placement
2nd place
Member
General Stres'tron'garmis
Textual submission

Bleu's Clues Investigations
Outskirts of what's left of Jerem's Plaza

A modest (small) office amongst a building filled with comparable units, the office of BCI is quiet these days. With the proprietor on Selen, it's been left in the care of a midget Falleen who continues the investigative work as best he can.

Compared to many of the buildings and offices in the plaza, the BCI office came out of the Whallata assault relatively unscathed. Whether this had to do with the Falleen's penchant for firearms is...unclear.

The office itself is a small affair, a door leading into a small sitting room divided from the office proper by a thin interior wall, little more than paneling with a door set in the middle of it. Inside the office is a plasteel desk with a chair set behind it, a crudely cut hole in the lower back of it for the comfort of the usual resident. A couch runs along one wall, a pair of simple chairs sits before the desk, and a plush, oversized chair sits next to the office entry. A small side kitchenette sits opposite the couch, filled with more caf supplies than is likely to be healthy.

Placement
No placement